Despite meeting statutory jurisdictional requirements under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006, the High Court declined to exercise its discretion in favour of sanctioning Waldorf Production UK Plc’s restructuring plan in August 2025due to concerns about fair allocation of value and lack of meaningful engagement with unsecured creditors. Waldorf then sought and was granted … Continue Reading
In a first, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) has exercised its anti-avoidance powers under section 47 of the Pensions Act 2004 (PA04). While it has issued contribution notices (CN) under section 38 of the PA04 on several occasions, this is the first time TPR used its section 47 powers issuing a CN in respect of a … Continue Reading
As practitioners will know, when dealing with a sale of an insolvent business they will have to consider whether the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) applies. TUPE applies to transfers of businesses or undertakings (or parts of them). If there has been a relevant transfer under regulation 3 of TUPE, then … Continue Reading
The ability to cram down dissenting creditors in a Restructuring Plan (RP) is a helpful tool to ensure that a proposed restructuring is not derailed. But ultimately the power rests with the court in deciding whether to cram down an RP on dissenting creditors.… Continue Reading
In the High Court decision of Pagden v Ridgley [2025] EWHC 2674 (Ch), Mr Justice Foxton considered an appeal from a decision by ICC Judge Greenwood, who previously dismissed a challenge to the fees charged by an administrator for selling land subject to a fixed charge.… Continue Reading
On 8 October 2025, the Court approved a significant milestone in the long-running insolvency proceedings of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (LBIE). After 17 years in administration, the Court granted an order terminating the administrators’ appointments and paving the way for LBIE to enter a members’ voluntary liquidation (MVL).… Continue Reading
HMRC has issued new guidance explaining its expectations for the proportionate and appropriate use of Notices of Intended Dividends (NOIDs) in an MVL in light of what it says are challenges created by practitioners issuing a NOID at the start of an MVL where doing so might be inappropriate. … Continue Reading
In a short, but helpful judgment the court considered whether the stay imposed by s130(2) of the IA 1986 on actions or proceedings against a company in liquidation applied to a secured creditor exercising its power of sale. In confirming that it did not, the court outlined the purpose behind that provision and considered what … Continue Reading
The ability to fund insolvency litigation can make a significant difference to realisations in an insolvent estate. Although many claims are now assigned to specialist funders (where the funder both runs and funds the claim) some insolvency practitioners have (at least until the Supreme Court decision in PACCAR came along) used litigation funding agreements (LFAs) … Continue Reading
Judge Agnello in a recent court decision[1] concluded that a company must pay its debts within the period of 12 months from the start of an MVL, and if it does not, the liquidator is obliged to convert the MVL to a company voluntary liquidation (CVL).… Continue Reading
The Insolvency Service have held a long-established view that creditors are classed as such at the point of entry into an insolvency process. This view was brought into question and challenged in the cases of Pindar and Toogood where in essence the judges (after considering the definition of secured creditor in s248 of the Insolvency … Continue Reading
Since the cases of Avanti and UKCloud we have seen more arguments around the classification of a charge – is a typical floating charge asset actually subject to a fixed charge? Is a fixed charge really floating? Much depends on the control the charge holder asserts, but we have seen some novel claims. The position … Continue Reading
As insolvency practitioners (IPs) it is not unusual to have to consider the terms of a particular contract, whether that is enforcing the terms of that for the insolvent entity or considering the rights of the third party as against the company, and in some cases, it is necessary for IPs to enter into a … Continue Reading
We have seen an increasing number of contested restructuring plans (RPs) over the last quarter. With a notable shift of RPs into the litigation arena, and some gentle push back from the judiciary about timetabling and use of court time the judiciary has published a draft practice statement for consultation outlining new case management requirements … Continue Reading
Much will depend on the specifics of a company’s financial position, but there are some themes from the OutsideClinic and Enzen judgments that are helpful – and arguably so even beyond the context of RPs for a company’s managing its relationship with HMRC. Is HMRC in or out of the money? In OutsideClinic HMRC had … Continue Reading
The Outside Clinic restructuring plan (RP) was sanctioned last week with HMRC voting in favour of it. In a similar vein to Enzen (see our earlier blog) HMRC initially indicated that it was not inclined to support the plan, but, after negotiating a higher return following the convening hearing, it voted in favour of it. A … Continue Reading
You may have read our previous blog about the Outside Clinic Restructuring Plan (RP) which asked whether 5p was enough to cram down HMRC and thought, well surely if that’s not enough, 10p would work? The Enzen Restructuring Plans (RPs) that were sanctioned this week also sought to compromise HMRC’s secondary preferential debt proposing a … Continue Reading
For those in the mid-market who have watched developments in restructuring plans (RP) move from a potential rescue tool, to something prohibitively expensive, the OutsideClinic RP might be one to watch. Not least because the RP seeks to cram down HMRC. Following RPs proposed by Naysmyth and the Great Annual Savings Company (which were unsuccessful … Continue Reading
Although the case of Anthony John Wright and Alastair Rex Massey vs. Scottish Court of Session [2024] CSOH 105 is (as the name suggests) a Scottish decision, there are several takeaways from the case relating to the content of progress reports, which could usefully be applied and followed by English practitioners when making their own application. … Continue Reading
Using the same or similar name of a company that is in insolvent liquidation is prohibited by s 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA). A director who acts in breach of s216 by being a director of, or being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company that is using a prohibited … Continue Reading
Throughout his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump vowed that if re-elected, he would address unfair trade practices, rebalance trade relationships, and fund other economic proposals through new and expanded tariffs. With his return to the White House, the world is grappling with a complex web of international trade risks and potential opportunities in 2025. President … Continue Reading
What can we expect in R&I in 2025? Well that’s always difficult to know for certain but our predictions are based on what we saw in 2024, and how we expect some of these to play out in 2025. And let’s see where we are at the end of the year because there were a … Continue Reading
It is usual for administrators to ask for an administration to be extended by 12 months – but we have seen the courts agree to longer periods. For example, certain of the Lehman group company administrations were extended by periods of four and six years – having previously been extended by eight. In the more … Continue Reading
The date that a winding up petition is presented has consequences – consequences for the company subject to the petition, its directors, the petitioning creditor and it is also important in the context of a subsequent liquidation where the date is relevant to claims which a liquidator can bring. Although seemingly a simple question, the … Continue Reading
